To Bill
The thermostat:
A few months into having the car, I noticed the A/C would only blow cold if I was moving. Sitting in traffic it would blow HOT and then the car would overheat. So, of course, being down the shore in traffic, this happened and I wound up having to sit on the side of the road for a couple hours before it cooled down enough to drive again. As long as you were moving, everything was fine. Stuck in traffic, you're screwed.
Maybe there wasn't a recall (thought there was.....don't know, maybe constantly breaking down on side of the road could become a safety issue?), but when I called the dealer they were totally aware of the problem and took care of it no questions asked/no hassles. Service guy in the dealership said they have a lot of problems with this year with the thermostat. Again, maybe it wasn't a recall, but I know I got a recall notice on something 1.5 years ago and this was what was the problem. Simple, cheap job so they were "happy" to help.
So, for this steering issue. After fighting with Ford a bit, they contacted the dealer directly. They (Ford I believe) is going to cover 60% of the $2090 repair and I'm on the hook for the rest. So, they know they did wrong. They know they have a major problem potentially out on the roads. And they are willing to half acknowledge it. I need my truck back asap so can't fight with them anymore.....which I'm sure is what they were counting on.
Again, when this happens to someone who isn't lucky and winds up dead or seriously injured as a result, maybe then they will be forced to do what they should.